Dancing with the Devil: Ars reviews Modern Warfare 2 PC

After all the boycotts and threats of piracy and wailing, the PC version of …

It's a tricky thing to be a PC gamer who wants to play Modern Warfare 2. We weren't sure we'd get an advance copy from Activision, so we went to a local game store and put our money down to make sure there would be a copy waiting for us on launch day. (If we complain about preorders in the future, be sure to point out this hypocrisy.) When I went to pick up the game, the store manager let me know that I was the number four pre-order for the PC version of the game. He then told me he had over 400 orders for the Xbox 360 version.

It's hardly a scientific poll, but when one version of the game outsells the other 100 to 1, it's hard to feel like you're part of a demographic the publisher is going to listen to. When the time came to pick up the game, the clerk couldn't find it. It was tucked away in the back, with no display, and I was the first person who came in to get their copy. No PC gamers attended the midnight launch. I was asked, more than once, if I was sure I wanted this version. Even if you bought on Steam, you have to wait until November 13 to play it, which is weird since the game uses Steamworks copy protection and requires a Steam account to play. It seems retail was cut a break on this one.

The game is $60, which is $10 more than PC games usually cost. Without any licensing fees on the PC, publishers usually price the game slightly lower than its console counterpart. Activision decided to simply take the larger profit margin. There will be no dedicated servers, and you know the rest of our beefs with the PC version of the game. This is a game by a company that doesn't seem to care about PC gaming anymore, and the community has responded with boycotts and threats of piracy and other such nonsense.

Here's the problem with all the righteous indignation: it's about servers and politics and feeling important, not the actual game printed on the disc. That's what we'll be looking at today.

Single-player

Once you start up the title, it becomes very apparent that you're dealing with what appears to be a direct port of the console versions of the game: there isn't even a menu to adjust your mouse settings on the title screen. You have to enter the game and hit escape before you can tweak the settings.

The game begins by asking if you'd like to be asked to skip a mission "some players may find disturbing or offensive." We're told this won't affect game completion, it will simply give us the option of skipping that content later in the game. I chose yes, just so the game will tell me what I might be offended by. Wouldn't want to miss it! I'll get into it a bit further down in the review, but if you're squeamish, or don't handle this sort of thing well, this may not be the game for you. There is no flinching from graphic violence or complex issues.

Of course, any game with a thrilling snowmobile chase where you fire an automatic handgun gangsta-style probably isn't the most politically aware creature on the market, and the sobering moments are mixed with Rambo-style theatrics. It can be jarring.

It can also be hard. A few bullets is more than enough to take you down, although by simply avoiding fire for a few minutes you'll heal all your wounds. Your screen will often by filled with your own blood, however, which can sometimes make you feel like something of a bullet sponge. Keep moving, look above and below you at all times, and always stay as aware as possible. If you try to rush these missions, you'll be stuck replaying the same segment over and over as you get shot to pieces.

The game is intense, almost numbingly so. You'll try your hand at firing an impressive array of weapons, you'll remember that survival is by no means guaranteed, and you'll be treated to a few vehicle segments that break up the action nicely without overstaying their welcome. The story, involving invasions and double-agents (or are they triple-agents?!?) and all sorts of over-the-top intrigue, can easily be ignored. You've played war games before, but the Modern Warfare world is dominated by quotes by Dick Cheney and Nathan Hale, and every character in the game thinks that problems are just one dead soldier or razed capital away from being fixed.

The graphics are strong, with many striking images throughout that I won't discuss for the obvious reasons. There aren't many innovations in the single-player game; the HUD is self-explanatory, the controls all make sense if you've played other FPS titles, and you'll know what to do with each item from the impressive array of weaponry. There is now a graphical indication on the screen of where to go next and how far away the section is, and the game autosaves often; you'll rarely be sent very far backward when you die. What makes the Modern Warfare series stand out is the heavy scripting, precise action, and unflinching look at this idea of war. If the first game made you squirm, you haven't seen anything yet.

It's a violent, one-dimensional world where might makes right, and the atmosphere is oppressive. All of these design decisions work together to create a compelling, blood-soaked setting. The campaign moves along at a breathless pace, and by the time you've put the seven hours or so into the game that it takes to see the credits your ears will be ringing and your shoulder may feel a little bruised by the idea of all those virtual guns being fired relentlessly.

This isn't a game that glorifies violence—situations and characters such as this aren't attractive—it's a game that overloads you with it. You'll be asked to take part in some repugnant things, and many of the peripheral details will stick with you. You'll want to talk about the single-player campaign long after it's done, and it's clear that people are going to have strong opinions one way or the other.

How do we feel about the controversial segment where you become part of a terrorist act? It's hard to watch. The actual mission that has gained all this controversy is, in all honesty, pretty shocking stuff. The game slows down; you can't run. You have to walk slowly through the scene, watching innocents gunned down. They scream. They try to crawl away. They hold their wounds and moan. You can pull the trigger, or you can just watch. But you're holding a gun—you're a part of this. If you decide not to play this mission, you get a cut-scene. Why is this section of the game playable? What does it add? That's a huge question, with many different answers. I'm not saying the section makes the game better, but it certainly will get people talking. But, yes: it is just as bad as people are saying, and just as hard to take.

Am I glad I played the game? Yes. Can I see myself replaying it? Maybe not. It's satisfying to step into the shoes of people who are so uncompromising, and the game is brilliant at creating the feeling of moral vacuum, but it's not exactly a feeling that's comfortable, or even fun. During many scenes, I found myself simply emptying clips into houses, knowing there could be innocents inside. Why not? I was trying to survive, and in the thick of things it was hard to tell civilians from soldiers. Yes, it's just a game, and these are just pixels on a screen, but pixels and actions are enough to create a powerful emotional reaction.

This is very impressive stuff, not in terms of storytelling exactly, but as a tone poem about warfare. For those buying the game only for the single-player, they will most likely walk away from the game a little sooner than they hoped, but satisfied nonetheless.

282 Reader Comments

Harsh much? I know its $60 but pretty much every location you can pick this up has anywhere from $10-$20 off, and while there were some issues w/ dedicated servers and what not, it doesn't change that this is still one of the best multiplayer games of the year and totally worth checking out, pc or console...Dedicated servers would be very nice but a matchmaking system makes joining games a way smoother experience and I have thus far experienced very minimal lag even during the first couple nights of steam getting pounded...There is way more then $60 worth of time to be found in this game...

Harsh much? I know its $60 but pretty much every location you can pick this up has anywhere from $10-$20 off, and while there were some issues w/ dedicated servers and what not, it doesn't change that this is still one of the best multiplayer games of the year and totally worth checking out, pc or console...Dedicated servers would be very nice but a matchmaking system makes joining games a way smoother experience and I have thus far experienced very minimal lag even during the first couple nights of steam getting pounded...There is way more then $60 worth of time to be found in this game...

Actually kfuller, I've heard many many people with the PC version saying that the matchmaking is crap. They get horrible lag, and it takes about 20 seconds after the host leaves to find a new one. You may enjoy the game, but don't generalize and think that everyone shares your opinion.

Side note, page 2 of the review isn't working for me. Anyone else having that issue?

I'm just saying it's worth checking out, and that a "skip" is being pretty harsh. With a cable inet connection there's no reason you should have issues w/ lag in this game. I've played for pretty much two days straight and maybe 1 out of 5 games lag and even then its mostly manageable.

Originally posted by kfuller002:Harsh much? I know its $60 but pretty much every location you can pick this up has anywhere from $10-$20 off, and while there were some issues w/ dedicated servers and what not, it doesn't change that this is still one of the best multiplayer games of the year and totally worth checking out, pc or console...Dedicated servers would be very nice but a matchmaking system makes joining games a way smoother experience and I have thus far experienced very minimal lag even during the first couple nights of steam getting pounded...There is way more then $60 worth of time to be found in this game...

One of the best MP games of the year.... I beg to differ. L4d 2 (even just the demo) has more customization than this and is more fun.

Originally posted by kfuller002:I'm just saying it's worth checking out, and that a "skip" is being pretty harsh. With a cable inet connection there's no reason you should have issues w/ lag in this game. I've played for pretty much two days straight and maybe 1 out of 5 games lag and even then its mostly manageable.

But that is just it, the lag is not based on YOUR connection, it's based on the proximity and perhaps even computer performance of the HOST. If you get a host that is located on the other end of the US for example you are going to experience lag, no getting around that. Also the fact you have to wait for a host swap is just plain silly...a HUGE step backwards in terms of what PC gamers have been experiencing for years.

I think Activision purposely gimped the pc version simply because they fear piracy SO much. The problem is your scorning people that actually want to buy the pc version....your screwing your fanbase.

I knew the pc sales would be lower but the 100:1 ration mentioned in the article is disturbing. Not only are pc users being pushed aside by the developers they are also never going to have their opinion heard because of this. This almost reminds me of some soft of move a terrorist regime would pull it's such a slap in the face.

I just dont understand this trend to move away from pc gaming, as long as there are pc's there will always be pc gaming. GRRRR!

It's unfortunate that they will enjoy such success on the consoles with this as to make the PC boycott negligible in the end.

Bottom line is this. If you own a console, enjoy a superb experience. If you prefer to game on PC, there are plenty of other outlets for us.

IW/Activision won't be reversing their decision. Do your part and vote with your wallet. My local game stop said requests for PC pre-orders went way up for Bad Company 2 with the announced IW decision and I think we can only hope that IW takes notice. Smaller margin or not, sales are still sales and it won't be long before the suits upstairs start asking questions.

If even half of the people that signed the boycott follow through, that's $6m. That's only insignificant to the government...

Originally posted by kfuller002:I'm just saying it's worth checking out, and that a "skip" is being pretty harsh. With a cable inet connection there's no reason you should have issues w/ lag in this game. I've played for pretty much two days straight and maybe 1 out of 5 games lag and even then its mostly manageable.

Well when your options are Buy, Rent, and Skip, and you really cannot rent PC games, that leaves you with Buy and Skip. Given the fact that it is just a sad console port that was literally in no way given any of the traditional PC lovin, I would say that skip is a pretty good verdict.

I think the game looks interesting, but given all the crap they did to multiplayer, I will be gameflying it on 360 for a speedy play through the single player and then disregarding it.

Listening to the buzz from a number of spots over the 'net on this one, Ben will get some grief for the rating...Nonetheless, applaud the PC rating. I'm not going to pay 60 for a direct 360 port, especially with jacked multiplayer experience.

Sorry for the hyperbole: I think my 'Call of Duty' has ended. Like a soldier who wants to leave the battlefield, this war is no longer mine.

Oooo, what a controversial verdict, way to go looking like a whiner Ben. I usually agree with your reviews and views but I think you're crowing for little to no valid reason. You're also going to confuse people who don't read all the way through, you should have a link to a 360/PS3 version of the review or cite what your verdict is on the console platforms.

No console, no dedicated servers, oh gawd we're being forgotten!!! Wait, when did this happen? When did PC Gaming fall by the wayside?>??? OH NOES!!!

I had already decided not to buy this game when I heard it was going to cost 60 dollars. All the other stuff just adds up on top of that. Even if it was 50 dollars I wouldn't have bought it after knowing what I know now about this game anyway. I'm just not going to pay more for less functionality. Add on top of that the extremely short single-player and it's impossible for me to justify the price tag. Maybe I'll pick it up in a couple years when its 15 or 20 dollars.

The game is already in the expected places. PC gamers will feel spurned and pirate, and Activision will claim they don't support the PC better because of piracy

Pretty much. I can see this setting precedent for other game companies to take a similar view and follow suit. I think PC gaming is going to be primarily made up of MMO's, indie, and casual style games within the next decade the way things are looking.

Originally posted by cowtown:I usually agree with your reviews and views but I think you're crowing for little to no valid reason....No console, no dedicated servers, oh gawd we're being forgotten!!! Wait, when did this happen? When did PC Gaming fall by the wayside?>??? OH NOES!!!

In terms of PC gaming, these are expected things. Especially in the context of prior games having them, and this one suddenly not. I don't see how his complaints have "little to no valid reason[ing]".

quote:

You're also going to confuse people who don't read all the way through, you should have a link to a 360/PS3 version of the review or cite what your verdict is on the console platforms.

If people jump straight to the verdict before commenting, then they'll be vetted by other people commenting on this article. Besides, it's right in the title.

quote:

Originally posted by Hotdog:Consoles are cheap. If you want to play games, buy a console. Fucking A.

Nice review Ben. Your summary of the themes and the controversy are nicely presented. And as a PC gamer, I'm impressed you decided to review that version. Bummer about multiplayer stuff. Seems like Valve is the only dev left that cares about the PC.

I fell in love with call of duty 1 and 2 on the pc. I've never both making the switch to consoles because I keep my PC top of the line all the time. It's a sad day to see this series crippled for the console market.

Originally posted by cowtown:Oooo, what a controversial verdict, way to go looking like a whiner Ben. I usually agree with your reviews and views but I think you're crowing for little to no valid reason. You're also going to confuse people who don't read all the way through, you should have a link to a 360/PS3 version of the review or cite what your verdict is on the console platforms.

No console, no dedicated servers, oh gawd we're being forgotten!!! Wait, when did this happen? When did PC Gaming fall by the wayside?>??? OH NOES!!!

Sweet comment, bro. I remember when I first got my xbox 360 too.

It's pc version or bust; and I do not trust the broadband connections of other players to provide me a good multiplayer experience. I'll take it exactly how they meant it to mean for me. A slap in the face. I'll quickly forget about this anyway, when I'm playing L4D2.

310 Million made off of 4.7M copies sold, your 6 Million is a drop in the bucket. I feel you though, I was a diehard Quake player, but I dropped out of PC gaming right after Diablo 2 LOD came out. It just wasn't worth it. I sympathize with wanting to play the game your way, but this is no longer a PC era. Not until something revolutionizes PCs enough to drag the developers eyes away from the consoles.

As far as mods and dedicated servers and console settings, eventually something might come to you in time, but don't expect it to be something that's fully supported. With most of you leaving this game on the wayside, what reason would there be for them to help you all?

Welcome to the future of gaming. Console gaming is much more attractive to game developers than the PC because they can make more money from console games than the PC (for various reasons, including piracy). Either that or play by subscription is what you'll find more of on the PC. Otherwise, it'll just be crappy ports from console games more often than not (look at Borderlands) and all the interfaces will just be gunky console interfaces that won't/don't work well on the PC. No reason to spend money doing a 'good' port when they may not recover the cost.

Originally posted by Ben Kuchera:I didn't assume any such thing. This is simply a review of the PC version.

quote:

Assume that I only have a 360, the game it the same, should I skip that?

No clue, I haven't played it.

Looks like you've set out to do a hatchet job on a version that is used in your own words by 1% of the buying public. I'll assume that (unscientific as it clearly was) this is going to be very roughly halved to around a half percent when you factor in PS3 etc also.

And for the rest of us, the 99.5%, you have "no idea". Disgruntled much?

Well when your options are Buy, Rent, and Skip, and you really cannot rent PC games, that leaves you with Buy and Skip. Given the fact that it is just a sad console port that was literally in no way given any of the traditional PC lovin, I would say that skip is a pretty good verdict.

I think were taking the Buy, Rent, Skip thing a little to literal...People can likely check it out at a friends.

In any case if you have played thing you might understand that while it sucks that they are skipping some of the nice pc gaming options that we have enjoyed in the past, it still doesn't change the fact that with a ton of modes built in this game has plenty to try. If you played it and still think its the devil then that's fine. But i have played it, the servers weren't bad at all, host migration is almost instant, and overall it has been a great game for the $40 i spent...

Walmart.com had $20 gift cars on purchase, Nebraska furniture mart (for the Midwest people) had $20 gift cars, best buy had $10 gift cards, amazon.com had $20 gift cards...there were plenty of options for finding this game below $60...

I'm not trying to start a flame-war by any means, i just think if your not sure, you should play a friends copy (if possible)...and b/c the console versions are so close to the pc version, you can get an idea for what to expect from those as well if all of your friends own a ps3 or xbox...

Looks like you've set out to do a hatchet job on a version that is used in your own words by 1% of the buying public. I'll assume that (unscientific as it clearly was) this is going to be very roughly halved to around a half percent when you factor in PS3 etc also.

I don't really care about the buying public. Based on e-mails, comments, and readership on our past stories on the PC edition of this game, it seems like people were interested in a review of that version. Ars readers are in no way representative of the game buying populace at large, and I'm fine with that.

If you want information on the console version, everyone and their mother has a review up. I think we may be the only outlet that took a good hard look at the PC version.

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So when is the console review of MW2 from a non-spurned gamer coming?

I'm not spurned, and in fact in multiple places I point out how much fun the game is. The problem is if you're playing for the MP the decisions on how to deal with servers can have a negative impact on your experience.

Well, given that one, I don't have a PC currently, and two I'm only interested in the single player part, I'm going to play it at the nearest cybercafe. Plus it's gonna cost me less than it would buying the game...

I don't really care about the buying public. Based on e-mails, comments, and readership on our past stories on the PC edition of this game, it seems like people were interested in a review of that version. Ars readers are in no way representative of the game buying populace at large, and I'm fine with that.

I was going to suggest something about having a separate 360 review, but this one makes a lot more sense when you put it that way. A lot of the buzz on the net(including Ars and its forums) has been specifically about the PC version and how it would play. I think you've answered that question pretty unambiguously. There are lots of other sites out there for the console game reviews and more of the readership here on Ars is PC-oriented rather than console-oriented anyway.